Is anyone here interested in a subforum...

[Guest]

that would center on and support the unique educational needs of 2e kids?

 

I realize that many gifted kids are asynchronous and quirky; but those of us with 2e kids, or gifted kids with issues that aren't specifically, technically LDs but which enormously impact what we are able to do with/for them and dramatically alter how we must approach their education, know that we deal with something very different than asynchrony alone.

 

The current forum breakdown does not fit our kids, who cross over boundaries of special needs and accelerated. Several people have recently mentioned on other threads that they feel awkward posting on one or the other boards because they feel it is is inappropriate to talk about the other aspect of their kids -- it feels impolitic and inappropriate somehow to discuss giftedness on the special needs boards, and vice versa; yet not to do so artificially separates aspects of our children that we are dealing with. Trying to discuss the whole package on the high school boards results in accusations of coddling, lack of challenge, etc. -- just general misunderstandings of what teaching a 2e kid involves.

 

How many of you here would find such a thing invaluable?

 

Having support and being able to bounce ideas of each other is so important for our sanity's sake and for our abilities to do the best possible thing for our kids. I would love to see a place that focuses on these issues.

[peacefully]

.

[wapiti]

:iagree:

[mktkcb]

Yes!! That would be a very nice thing. I find myself flopping around back and forth between the acc and ld board a lot. Not that I still wouldn't if there were a 2e board, but 2e-s are their own special breed.

[EKS]

I am very interested (I responded over at the SN board as well).

[LittleIzumi]

Yesssssssssssssss. :D The ADHD in this house could drive me to drink, if I drank, lol.

[Sushi's Mom]

What level of special needs are you considering? I ask because I know some people don't consider my child special needs, because she "only" (as they put it) has ADHD and mild anxiety disorder, and perhaps a touch of OCD, but we're still unsure about that. Those tendencies could be from her ADHD. Her issues have impacted enough to cause us to hold her back a grade this coming year. (she was 2 grades ahead, now will only be one grade ahead, though she is still capable of the higher level work.)

 

I'm just being cautious because I don't want to offend anyone. I went to a few meetings of a mom's group for special needs kids and felt very out of place because nobody identified their kids as gifted, so I was afraid to say too much. I decided to stop going.

 

Thanks!

[Guest]

I'm not making determinations or requirements except that if the subforum gets going, it's the place where some people will feel their kids are best described, and the kinds of concerns and issues they face in homeschooling their kids are shared in a way that just "fits" best. A number of us feel that we have to artificially divide up or censor aspects of our kids' educations in order to say things on the forums as they're now constituted. I myself am really tired of feeling misunderstood and criticized on the high school boards. So: if you're looking for a safe place, and a place in which the contradictions and unique pressures of these extremely difficult and hard-to-label-or-describe kids who are not easy to categorize can be discussed freely and openly without fear of being misinterpreted as "character issues" or the like, that's what I'm hoping the sub-forum would offer.

[cindergretta]

I am interested. :)

[FairProspects]

I would be so interested in this!

[LittleIzumi]

I'm not making determinations or requirements except that if the subforum gets going, it's the place where some people will feel their kids are best described, and the kinds of concerns and issues they face in homeschooling their kids are shared in a way that just "fits" best. A number of us feel that we have to artificially divide up or censor aspects of our kids' educations in order to say things on the forums as they're now constituted. I myself am really tired of feeling misunderstood and criticized on the high school boards. So: if you're looking for a safe place, and a place in which the contradictions and unique pressures of these extremely difficult and hard-to-label-or-describe kids who are not easy to categorize can be discussed freely and openly without fear of being misinterpreted as "character issues" or the like, that's what I'm hoping the sub-forum would offer.

 

:iagree: I know ADHD isn't as big of an issue as many others have, but it is DEFINITELY an issue & requires accommodations & strategies & perhaps medication later & drives me up the wall, lol.

[rafiki]

.

[Still Waters]

Definitely interested.

[Corraleno]

Count me in.

 

Jackie

[Greenmama2]

Yes please.

[Free]

 

It's not about having a certain diagnosis, but how we can cover traditional skills in an alternative format in which our kids can digest.

Yes! I would love a sub-forum like this. My ds does not really fit into any label, but he is quirky. He does well at school and this hides the fact that he is not really learning and that he finds school torturous. He resists all forms of traditional schooling or instruction. I would love to look at ways to ignite the passion and excitement that comes from true learning in ways that he would be receptive to.

[leeannpal]

Yesssssssssssssss. :D The ADHD in this house could drive me to drink, if I drank, lol.

:iagree:

[Misty]

Yes yes yes!! (cross-post)

[PeterPan]

Someone asked why I haven't jumped in with any of the recent threads asking for a sub-forum for 2E/alternative classical learners. I wrote the admin about this a while back, when the last kerfluffle occurred, so my wish for that is already well-known. I think it's very clear there's a significant segment of kids who don't always fit in neatly in the other boards, kids who are 2E, SN, or who require significant accommodations or modifications. We have the kids who get told they should just be C students or are dumb because they can't do certain benchmarks other people's kids are doing. But then when are kids are working at a higher level or doing quite well with something else people look at us funny. And the kids leave us sighing a lot for the traditional answers that won't work.

 

So I don't know. If they could find a place for us, cool. If they can't, life goes on. They're irregular kids in a regular world, and that's just how it is. It's pretty clear *right now* there's not a place where they really fit, not if you want to discuss the nitty-gritty academic stuff about them.

[gracyomalley]

I'd be interested. I've been told we'll "never know how smart he is because of his LDs - but its smart...." about my oldest - and the challenge of teaching a kid who can't learn well quite like "me" (traditional "gifted" kid), but who can grasp concepts that I struggle with in math and science - then not be able to think of a synonym for nice....hmmmmmmm...

 

I think most kids don't fit into a "mold", but some are more square pegs than others, and it is nice to have a ear to lean on...

Erin

[freerange]

Excellent idea!

[Spryte]

I would be interested in this, too.

 

I'm never sure where to post about DS, so, generally - I don't. I just read, and wonder, and try to find answers.

[FO4UR]

:lurk5:

[Finnella]

The discussion on the SN board has been locked. Apparently, we are not pursuing this the way we should be. Rather than interpret and possibly pass the message on poorly, here's the thread. The moderator's response is at the end:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302061

[zaichiki]

In my particular experience, with my particular kids, I feel very comfortable on the accelerated learner boards.

 

One child has dyslexia. It affects her almost daily. But we're dealing with it. I sometimes pop over to the Special Needs board to read about dyslexia, but b/c she's not performing below grade level, I often feel like I don't belong there.

 

One child has some significant relative weaknesses (sequencing and working memory) on the WISC that led to some suggestions that we get further testing. We didn't pursue that b/c he compensates and we manage.

 

Sometimes I think I should do more than I do to remediate my kids' weaknesses that are likely due to being 2E. I usually manage to distract myself enough not to feel any guilt. :001_huh: It would be nice to be able to discuss those emotions and the various amounts of remediation y'all do with 2E kids. I guess I'd likely post something like that here on the AL board and put 2E in the title.

[KarenB]

Definitely interested.

 

Karen

[peacefully]

.

[Ester Maria]

In my view all of the matters discussed so far can be adequately addressed within the existing subforums: the 2-E element, which assumes a learning difficulty or difference, can be addressed within the "Special Needs" subforum, while the accelerated element can be addressed within the "Accelerated Learner" subforum, and when they are combined, depending on the focus, the one or the other subforum may be chosen and the opening post may explain the context with all the additional details that are important. General education debates are typically taken to the age-appropriate boards, which is fine in my view.

 

Of course, one could add many more subforums - from the self-defined "Quirky / Cloud / Whatever children", to "Ultra-classical home education", one could separate self-education from high school boards, etc., but personally, I find that the way the boards are currently broken down works very well, in fact, I would probably consider it the optimal way to break the boards down: it is decentralized enough, with enough special focuses, but I think more breaking off and more divisons would potentially ruin the balance of the flow the boards have now. I do not think a further "self-ghettoization", so to speak, of various interest groups into special subforums is the way to go - but, whenever applicable, an integration within the already existing subforums.

 

Only my .02$, of course. I am of the "if it ain't broken, don't fix" mindset, especially if it involves a financial investment, which I suspect creating additional subforums does.

[peacefully]

.

[rafiki]

.

[peacefully]

.

[Colleen in NS]

Surely, no harm in popping a quick PM to the mods to say “pretty please.”

 

Readers might want to carefully read this post from the SN board, and the thread it's on, before deciding whether or not to p.m. the mods:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3046392&postcount=33

 

ETA: Oops, yllek, we posted at the same time! :D

[Greenmama2]

Well I for one would appreciate such a subforum. I'm not comfortable sending a PM in light of that post. Nor am I comfortable posting on the special needs foum actually. So I'm posting again on this thread to publically state my interest.

[Ester Maria]

Michele,

When dealing with a Non-Neurotypical Learner, it's necessary to look at the whole child. There is not currently a forum here that allows us to do just that.

I disagree with a sort of tacit assumption (or, at least, what I read as such - it may be, of course, that I am simply reading into your text and seeing implications which were not intended) that in other cases it is not necessary to look at the whole child. I believe that every child, regardless of the level of their intellectual maturity or special needs, must be approached as a concrete individual in a concrete life and learning situation, where there are many factors to be considered. In fact, on a slightly personal note, I find a bit irritating what I perceive (again, perhaps entirely wrongly and due to my own reading into what other people write) as a sort of "monopoly" a group of people tries to establish on taking into account the whole child and having to do so when they educate them - I think this is a reality we ALL face, regardless of what kind of children we have. It is just that any format of communication is limited, especially written, so some amount of "segmenting" must occur for the communication to be efficient: at some point, we have to pinpoint the point we wish to discuss and limit the context. I think this is something ALL parents on these boards face, not something which is limited to a group of people.

 

Because of that I vote for the system which has the subforums who function on the principle of the lowest common denominator which can connect people, rather than divide them - this may seem like a simple exception, but it is an exception that might be a part of a whole process of the disintegration of the forums into smaller interest groups, and in my view, the forums then lose their true value of connecting. One could argue that there are perfectly enough people on these boards to warrant a religious education subforum, then there are those of us who homeschool internationally / interculturally and could most definitely profit from a subforum in which we could discuss the specific challenges related to such a situation, and so forth - these are only two examples off the top of my head, but I do not think that the disintegration of the forums in that fashion is a good idea. All of those "interest groups", as I call them, could argue very skillfully for why their particular exception is a laudable one which would enrich the boards - twice exceptional children are in that respect not any less or more deserving of having their own board than the third culture children (and we have a significant number of those on these boards as well - a minority, but not an insignificant one either; we also tend to "recognize" each other, bump into each other consistently and realize that we share some common educational and lifestyle underpinnings that other people do not and, really, we could profit from a platform to have discussions from that standpoint). But I do not think, as a trend, that it is a good one to start... or we will soon be divided into precise little bubbles to which we supposedly can relate, while tacitly excluded from what will have become the majority of the boards to which we supposedly cannot or ought not. While I agree that some order and sorting has to exist for the sake of clarity and organization, I really think that going beyond what currently exists might present a danger of slow disintegration of the boards and "ghettoizing" of ever smaller and ever more exclusive groups - something I would personally hate to see - which is why I write here as a sort of voice of dissent.

While our children do have unique needs and most of us have had our children formally evaluated, it doesn't feel right to post about gifted twice exceptional children on a board where there are also children who are REALLY struggling and years behind. They need their own forum too.

Admittely, I hardly ever visit that subforum, but it does seem broad enough to me - after all, both parents of severely autistic children and those who "merely" struggle with dyslexia use that subforum. 2-E children would be only a part of the diverse group of people there - just like the accelerated learners subforum is visited both by people who "merely" suspect giftedness in their preschoolers and by people whose children have tangible results in working on materials that are five grade levels above their age. There is a place for all within the given structure (that place, maybe, not being used is a whole other story - but I really find that the place is there). If we start "dissecting" this way, we will soon have to form multiple subforums in each one, because "gifted" three year olds are a very different boat than drastically accelerated middle and high school students, for example.

 

I am not trying to "relativize", but every day is a challenge for most parents, I would say. We are all trying to meet our children where they are and educate them to their needs, I am highly skeptical that many children fit those neat boxes in the first place, most children seem to be all over the place, actually. There are factors in our children's lives which drastically impact the whole picture and with which not everyone can relate - for some that is a living situation, home culture, a learning difference, etc. I find it a bit unrealistic to demand special subforums for all of those factors in order to create as neat boxes as possible - I really see much greater opportunities in keeping the categories rather vague, as opposed to sweating the precision of "who fits where" and making boxes which are on purpose meant to exclude, rather than include by searching for the lowest common denominator.

 

Typically I have no problems with exclusivity per se, I just find it a bit counter-productive on boards like this. I know that, in practice, everyone would be able to read and participate even if such boxes were created, but I do find it might loosen the ties between people rather than strengthen them and thus be somewhat counter-productive on the whole of the boards.

 

I just wanted to present the other view, nothing more. :)

[Bang!Zoom!]

Just asking, would a community group work for some discussions of 2E?

 

They take only about 1 minute to set up here.

 

I did look, and there are not any 2E communities set up here.

 

Anyone can do it.

[Ester Maria]

Just asking, would a community group work for some discussions of 2E?

Wow - thank you! I completely forgot about this possibility, and I am sure many others have overlooked it too. Maybe that is the solution we are looking for for all of these potential groups?

[newlifemom]

Michele,

 

I disagree with a sort of tacit assumption (or, at least, what I read as such - it may be, of course, that I am simply reading into your text and seeing implications which were not intended) that in other cases it is not necessary to look at the whole child. I believe that every child, regardless of the level of their intellectual maturity or special needs, must be approached as a concrete individual in a concrete life and learning situation, where there are many factors to be considered. In fact, on a slightly personal note, I find a bit irritating what I perceive (again, perhaps entirely wrongly and due to my own reading into what other people write) as a sort of "monopoly" a group of people tries to establish on taking into account the whole child and having to do so when they educate them - I think this is a reality we ALL face, regardless of what kind of children we have. It is just that any format of communication is limited, especially written, so some amount of "segmenting" must occur for the communication to be efficient: at some point, we have to pinpoint the point we wish to discuss and limit the context. I think this is something ALL parents on these boards face, not something which is limited to a group of people.

 

Because of that I vote for the system which has the subforums who function on the principle of the lowest common denominator which can connect people, rather than divide them - this may seem like a simple exception, but it is an exception that might be a part of a whole process of the disintegration of the forums into smaller interest groups, and in my view, the forums then lose their true value of connecting. One could argue that there are perfectly enough people on these boards to warrant a religious education subforum, then there are those of us who homeschool internationally / interculturally and could most definitely profit from a subforum in which we could discuss the specific challenges related to such a situation, and so forth - these are only two examples off the top of my head, but I do not think that the disintegration of the forums in that fashion is a good idea. All of those "interest groups", as I call them, could argue very skillfully for why their particular exception is a laudable one which would enrich the boards - twice exceptional children are in that respect not any less or more deserving of having their own board than the third culture children (and we have a significant number of those on these boards as well - a minority, but not an insignificant one either; we also tend to "recognize" each other, bump into each other consistently and realize that we share some common educational and lifestyle underpinnings that other people do not and, really, we could profit from a platform to have discussions from that standpoint). But I do not think, as a trend, that it is a good one to start... or we will soon be divided into precise little bubbles to which we supposedly can relate, while tacitly excluded from what will have become the majority of the boards to which we supposedly cannot or ought not. While I agree that some order and sorting has to exist for the sake of clarity and organization, I really think that going beyond what currently exists might present a danger of slow disintegration of the boards and "ghettoizing" of ever smaller and ever more exclusive groups - something I would personally hate to see - which is why I write here as a sort of voice of dissent.

 

Admittely, I hardly ever visit that subforum, but it does seem broad enough to me - after all, both parents of severely autistic children and those who "merely" struggle with dyslexia use that subforum. 2-E children would be only a part of the diverse group of people there - just like the accelerated learners subforum is visited both by people who "merely" suspect giftedness in their preschoolers and by people whose children have tangible results in working on materials that are five grade levels above their age. There is a place for all within the given structure (that place, maybe, not being used is a whole other story - but I really find that the place is there). If we start "dissecting" this way, we will soon have to form multiple subforums in each one, because "gifted" three year olds are a very different boat than drastically accelerated middle and high school students, for example.

 

I am not trying to "relativize", but every day is a challenge for most parents, I would say. We are all trying to meet our children where they are and educate them to their needs, I am highly skeptical that many children fit those neat boxes in the first place, most children seem to be all over the place, actually. There are factors in our children's lives which drastically impact the whole picture and with which not everyone can relate - for some that is a living situation, home culture, a learning difference, etc. I find it a bit unrealistic to demand special subforums for all of those factors in order to create as neat boxes as possible - I really see much greater opportunities in keeping the categories rather vague, as opposed to sweating the precision of "who fits where" and making boxes which are on purpose meant to exclude, rather than include by searching for the lowest common denominator.

 

Typically I have no problems with exclusivity per se, I just find it a bit counter-productive on boards like this. I know that, in practice, everyone would be able to read and participate even if such boxes were created, but I do find it might loosen the ties between people rather than strengthen them and thus be somewhat counter-productive on the whole of the boards.

 

I just wanted to present the other view, nothing more. :)

 

 

Wow! Lucid, well thought, well written, and kind, would you please come to my house and educate me? :D

 

As for your response, :iagree:

[rafiki]

.

[rafiki]

.

[rafiki]

.

[zaichiki]

we also tend to "recognize" each other, bump into each other consistently and realize that we share some common educational and lifestyle underpinnings that other people do not and, really, we could profit from a platform to have discussions from that standpoint). But I do not think, as a trend, that it is a good one to start... or we will soon be divided into precise little bubbles to which we supposedly can relate, while tacitly excluded from what will have become the majority of the boards to which we supposedly cannot or ought not.

Very good point (bolded above).

 

Admittely, I hardly ever visit that subforum, but it does seem broad enough to me - after all, both parents of severely autistic children and those who "merely" struggle with dyslexia use that subforum. 2-E children would be only a part of the diverse group of people there - just like the accelerated learners subforum is visited both by people who "merely" suspect giftedness in their preschoolers and by people whose children have tangible results in working on materials that are five grade levels above their age.

Another good point. In my personal experience, I find that if/when I need to use the SN or AL boards, I can post specific questions there and find people with a similar experience. However, in my personal experience, it is also fairly easy for me to tease apart the special needs from the giftedness. I feel like I can usually isolate my questions. I wonder if the people who are strongly in favor of a new board for 2E might have a different experience? Maybe, in their experience, the line between the SN and gifted trait is blurred. Perhaps it's hard to know if the giftedness has caused or strongly influenced the area of struggle? (I'm thinking specifically of Dabrowski's OEs here.) In that case, posting about one necessitates mentioning the other in a descriptive way. I can understand why one might feel uncomfortable bringing giftedness into the SN forums (not wanting to offend or have others think one is elitist).

 

There is a place for all within the given structure (that place, maybe, not being used is a whole other story - but I really find that the place is there).

:iagree: And one*mom's suggestion of the community is a fabulous one! I'm so glad it was mentioned, as it didn't occur to me.

 

There are factors in our children's lives which drastically impact the whole picture and with which not everyone can relate - for some that is a living situation, home culture, a learning difference, etc.

I love that you added this here so clearly. I try to keep this in mind when I post -- especially in a place when people will often ask for advice or suggestions (curriculum, methods, etc.) about their own homeschooling experience.

 

I know that, in practice, everyone would be able to read and participate even if such boxes were created, but I do find it might loosen the ties between people rather than strengthen them and thus be somewhat counter-productive on the whole of the boards.

I'm glad you posted.

 

I just wanted to present the other view, nothing more. :)

Thanks!

[Ester Maria]

Ester Maria, It's clear that you and Colleen have expressed that you are not in favor of such a thing, which is understandable since it wouldn't meet your needs.

I cannot speak for Colleen, but I just wanted to make it clear, in case it was ambiguous from my posts, that I personally do NOT oppose the creation of such a subforum on the grounds of me not having a personal "profit" in such a subforum being created, but I do on the grounds of thinking that further disintegration of forums in this way is not a good idea, regardless of which specific group "profits" from it (yes, I would probably also vote against some hypothetical subforums which might meet my needs).

 

I just wanted to make this point clear, so as not to appear as though I have a "problem" with a group of people wanting a safe place to discuss their own issues (I find one*mom's suggestion to be brilliant, by the way), or that I have something personal against this particular group of people, or anything along those lines. The reason why I posted is because I am not neutral (I would simply ignore the thread if I were), but actually against this suggestion, just not for the reasons you seem to think are behind it. So I repeat, it is not because I might not personally profit from such a place or because I want to "sabotage" somebody's projects - it is out of my concern for the board dynamic, possible long-term consequences in terms of further disintegration, etc.

[beaners]

For specifically 2E concerns, I would think this board would be a better fit than the special needs board. I get the impression that there are many parents here who are already used to dealing with extra issues related to or exacerbated by giftedness. All of the educational processes might not be identical between those students and 2E students, but I think there is a lot of similar framework.

 

I have trouble seeing a better place for students that lean heavily toward VSL methods than the age/stage boards. While those particular students may struggle with sequential learning, there are a lot of students who learn well from either and both of those approaches. It would remove a large part of the discussion and many resources from them if the exclusively VSL parents moved their conversation to a different subforum. It would also limit the VSL parents from reading about ways VSL techniques have been adapted or are in use by traditional students. I see so much overlap in this area that I'd anticipate a large loss of information and conversation if part of it was cut out and moved somewhere else.

[TracyP]

These threads have been on my mind for days and I very strongly agree with Ester Maria. I don't always know where to post about my kids. I don't really like posting on the AL board because there are profoundly gifted kids here and I feel way out of my league. I lurk on the SN board but rarely post because I tell myself that my situation is not a big deal. But I read the very broad, general descriptions of these boards and think: Yes, I can post. I feel that any description is either going to be so narrow that some will feel unable to post, or so broad that a sub-forum would be redundant.

 

Bear with, I'm going to be selfish for a moment.:001_smile:

 

Beyond that, I am afraid of "losing" some of you. A few of my favorite moms have been "lost" from the K-8 board since the logic board opened. I think the logic stage board was needed, but these moms are not in my day to day conversations any more. Now I have to seek out the conversations they are having because I know they are always good ones. KarenAnne and Jackie are specifically two moms I do not want to lose. I appreciate this forum for its different views. Your views are interesting, thought-provoking, and helpful for ALL kids (IMO). Selfish, I know, but there you have it.

[TracyR]

What is 2e kids? I'm not familiar with that term.

[beaners]

What is 2e kids? I'm not familiar with that term.

 

It stands for twice exceptional, which means an individual is gifted and also has learning disabilities.

[RamonaQ]

 

Beyond that, I am afraid of "losing" some of you. A few of my favorite moms have been "lost" from the K-8 board since the logic board opened. I think the logic stage board was needed, but these moms are not in my day to day conversations any more. Now I have to seek out the conversations they are having because I know they are always good ones. KarenAnne and Jackie are specifically two moms I do not want to lose. I appreciate this forum for its different views. Your views are interesting, thought-provoking, and helpful for ALL kids (IMO). Selfish, I know, but there you have it.

 

Or alternatively, not all views are represented on the boards as they are currently configured. I will hypothesize, based on my own experience, that there are indeed others educating 2e kids that do not post on the AL board because it is confusing. In this thread, the opposite is stated, too. It seems that people are already being lost in the current configuration.

 

I support such a sub-forum. As I can see, a community is only visible to those that are members, so that also is another way to lose people, or the cohesion a broader group is being argued to maintain.

[Corraleno]

I repeat, it is not because I might not personally profit from such a place or because I want to "sabotage" somebody's projects - it is out of my concern for the board dynamic, possible long-term consequences in terms of further disintegration, etc.

How does insisting that parents of non-NT kids post on boards that (a) don't really fit their needs, and/or (b) open them up to attack, prevent "disintegration"? One could say the same thing about public schools — all gifted, LD, and 2E kids should just be mainstreamed in general classrooms to avoid "disintegration." We all know how well that works. :rolleyes: Why not merge the Accelerated and SN boards into one big Gifted/LD/2e board and eliminate the Bilingual and Afterschooling boards? After all, people can ask about foreign language programs and other curriculum on the curriculum boards. What's the point of the separate Writing subforums? Why not remerge them with the curriculum boards?

 

If those of us who are trying to adapt classical education to non-NT kids are driven off the WTM board, that will reduce diversity, reduce discussion, and leave many parents of 2e/VSL/non-NT kids floundering and depressed when faced with threads about how this board is only for "rigorous" homeschoolers, who do things in traditional ways. But then, maybe that's the point?

 

It would remove a large part of the discussion and many resources from them if the exclusively VSL parents moved their conversation to a different subforum. It would also limit the VSL parents from reading about ways VSL techniques have been adapted or are in use by traditional students. I see so much overlap in this area that I'd anticipate a large loss of information and conversation if part of it was cut out and moved somewhere else.

 

These threads have been on my mind for days and I very strongly agree with Ester Maria. ... KarenAnne and Jackie are specifically two moms I do not want to lose. I appreciate this forum for its different views. Your views are interesting, thought-provoking, and helpful for ALL kids (IMO). Selfish, I know, but there you have it.

But both of these posts suggest that if there's no subforum, then Karen and I and others will somehow be "forced" to post on the main boards and therefore share our knowledge with everyone. Do you have any idea how time-consuming it is to re-explain over and over, to people who just don't "get" it, that our kids are not severely disabled (or, IMHO, "disabled" at all), that they don't have discipline issues, that we're not producing children who will be completely incapable of working hard or surviving college? That *@#& VSL thread on the HS board took up most of 2 days of my time and, after all that, I had to read a vicious diatribe about how Karen and I are trying to push our "pet theories" on the board, that discovery-based learning is "antithetical to a classical education," and that we really don't have anything of value to contribute to the board and should just go elsewhere.

 

Karen has told me that she's completely done with WTM; maybe once she cools off she'll still pop in occasionally, but I wouldn't count on it. I'm pretty much done with the "main" boards, although I'll look in here on the Accelerated and SN boards once in a while to see if there are any questions I can answer. But I really don't have the time to keep arguing with those who seem to feel the need to disrupt any and all VSL/2e/interest-led threads on the main boards.

 

Jackie

Edited August 20, 2011 by Corraleno
typos

[TracyP]

Or alternatively, not all views are represented on the boards as they are currently configured. I will hypothesize, based on my own experience, that there are indeed others educating 2e kids that do not post on the AL board because it is confusing. In this thread, the opposite is stated, too. It seems that people are already being lost in the current configuration.

 

I support such a sub-forum. As I can see, a community is only visible to those that are members, so that also is another way to lose people, or the cohesion a broader group is being argued to maintain.

 

Good point. That has been the flip side of my concerns. I wonder if some would leave if there is no place where they feel they can speak. But I have never thought about there being others lurking that have something to add but feel they can't.

 

The moderator's comments sounded to me like a no. If that is the case, I hope this discussion opens the door to more parents.

[Corraleno]

I have never thought about there being others lurking that have something to add but feel they can't.

I can tell you that I receive a LOT of PMs from people who say they are afraid to post, for fear that they'll be attacked for not being "rigorous" enough, or told that their issues stem from lack of discipline, not learning-style. Some just say thanks for something I posted, and some ask questions privately. Although I'm happy to help, it is also very time consuming to carry on extended conversations via PM, and I think it's really unfortunate that people are afraid to post for fear of being bullied.

 

Jackie